IB Diploma: University Admission in Croatia

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Croatia does not convert IB points into a national score, but it does name the IB in the official list of foreign qualifications that qualify for university entry. What happens next depends on the faculty and programme you choose. This guide sets out what is published for the 2026 intake and where the IB is mentioned by name.

How the IB is treated

The Agency for Science and Higher Education (AZVO) publishes a table of foreign qualifications that are sufficient for applying to Croatian study programmes. The IB matura is on it, with report cards from the 9th to the 12th grade to be sent and the IB matura named both as the qualification and as the externally assessed exam whose results can earn ranking points instead of the Croatian state matura.

In practice, this means:

you apply through the national system Postani student like every other applicant from abroad, see how to get into a university in Croatia
your IB results are used for ranking in place of state matura exams, in subjects that correspond to the exams Croatian applicants take
you must complete the recognition request if you finished school outside the EU, see recognition of foreign school certificates in Croatia

The University of Rijeka's call for English-taught programmes says that final exam results from an education abroad are considered equivalent to the Croatian state matura.

No national minimum score

We found no national IB score requirement. Admission thresholds and subject conditions come from faculties, and each publishes its own in the call for the year. Because places are fixed and applicants are ranked, a faculty can in principle ask for more than the minimum. The University of Zagreb and the University of Rijeka both say that a faculty can still require specific state matura exams or an overall score including the matura. In that case you can sit the exams through the National Centre for External Evaluation of Education (NCVVO). Applicants who finished school abroad pay for those exams.

Where the IB is named at the University of Zagreb

The University of Zagreb's call for 2026/27 names the IB at several faculties. Two examples from the Faculty of Science:

In its mathematics studies, IB Higher Level results in Mathematics or Physics add points: 50 for a grade of 6, 40 for a 5 and 20 for a 4. An IB Diploma with at least 34 points and a 6 or more in Mathematics Higher Level gives the right to direct admission, subject to the conditions in the call.
For chemistry, direct admission is open to applicants with an IB Diploma that includes Chemistry and Mathematics at Higher Level, at least 34 points in total and at least a 6 in Chemistry, provided you also meet the entry threshold.

The Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry accepts an IB school certificate as proof of English for its English-taught pharmacy programme. Other faculties set different conditions, so read the special part of the call for the programmes you want.

Language of study

IB students often choose English-taught programmes. In our catalogue 30 of 648 programmes are taught in English; see bachelor's degrees in English in Croatia. Croatian-taught programmes need Croatian, and some faculties require a B2 certificate from NCVVO.

Timing

Check the calendar for your situation. For the 2026 summer round AZVO asked applicants who finished school abroad in 2026 for their documents by 1 July, and for the final certificate of those who registered state matura exams by the same date. The autumn round accepted documents until 4 September. We found no published rule for IB results that arrive after these dates. Write to AZVO at applications@azvo.hr before you plan around the deadline.

Where to look next

Official sources

Studij.hr: recognition of foreign high school qualifications: table of qualifications, including the IB
University of Zagreb: 2026/27 call for undergraduate studies
University of Rijeka: 2026/27 call for undergraduate studies
Studij.hr: application calendar

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.